How Astronauts Watch Football: Super Bowl Stadiums Seen From Space

This Sunday hundreds of millions of people worldwide will throw parties and huddle around TVs to celebrate the amazing achievements of teams of people who have striven their entire lives for one shot at greatness.

Architects.

Sure, the 49ers and Ravens will put on a show in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, but the really amazing feat was getting stadiums built in the first place. Politicians, architects, and team owners are all famous for having big egos, but like a team, all of them have to work together to succeed and build monuments to their favorite sport.

Mark Williams is a Principal at HKS, the architecture firm that has designed the venues for the last two Super Bowls and is hard at work on a new stadium in Minneapolis. He shared some thoughts on what goes into a super stadium.

"Our designs grow out of our extensive research, brand analysis and understanding the DNA of our clients, their teams and the region they draw from," he says. This philosophy is clearly evident in his firm's work. The new Cowboys Stadium is big and bright, just like everything in Texas, while the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis befits the more modest, industrial nature of the Midwest.

"Technology integration is the biggest design driver recently integrated into our process," says Williams. "We are constantly thinking about how to incorporate today and tomorrow's technology into our venues and their environments." Each stadium displays this integration in a unique way. Duct work you could drive a truck, or Jerome Bettis, through is featured at Lucas Oil Stadium while a $40 million dollar, 544 ton HDTV that spans the 20 yard lines at Cowboys Stadium is the star.

Ultimately, visiting a stadium is still all about human interaction. When asked what fans liked most about the stadiums, it wasn't the seating or concession stand. According to Williams it's "When we create environments that allow them to go behind the scenes, interact with players, and enjoy exclusive opportunities."

It's unlikely that any of these structures will outlast, or have the impact of the Colosseum in Rome, but they are a great reflection of the technology and trends that are shaping our world today.

The Superdome was conceived and named when a local entrepreneur, looking to bring the NFL to New Orleans, toured Houston's Astrodome and decided he wanted the same style of building — just bigger. The stadium was built and became home to one of the NFL's laughing stock franchises for nearly three decades.

During Hurricane Katrina, the Superdome became a shelter of last resort and was severely damaged during the ordeal. It was triumphantly rebuilt, clad in "Champagne Bronze" aluminum panels, and seemingly reinvigorated the home team which captured the NFL championship in 2009. It has also hosted a record seven Super Bowls.

Photo: Google Earth; 3/07/2011

Cowboy Stadium

As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas and their stadiums are no different. The Cowboys Stadium is the most expensive ever built for an NFL team, and though it can hold 80,000 spectators easily, seating can be expanded to accommodate 100,000. The roof alone weighs 14,100 tons, more than 92 Boeing 777's. Its most famous feature is its giant HD video screen — which measures 160 feet wide by 71 feet tall. If that isn't enough, there are also 3,000 other digital screens in the facility to catch replays or keep up with a fantasy football roster.

Completed in 2002, the Georgia Dome was built at the tail end of the domed arena era. It has hosted two Super Bowls, but is unlikely to see a third. The operators of the stadium, frustrated by leaks and tears in the dome structure, are looking to build a new venue with a retractable roof.

Photo: Google Earth; 10/31/2012

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

The roof of the Metrodome was a marvel of engineering when constructed in 1982. Composed of Teflon-coated fiberglass outer layer and an inner layer of acoustical fabric it wasn't erected, it was inflated. It was intended to shield spectators from Minnesota's brutal winters. But winter struck back, dropping 17 inches of powder on it — causing it to sag, tear, and then collapse. It has been replaced, but a new, $975 million dollar stadium is set to open in 2016.

Photo: Google Earth; 4/03/2012

Stanford Stadium

The Stanford Stadium, also known as "The Farm", lives up to its nickname being surrounded by trees instead of acres of asphalt. It plays host to Stanford's football team, the occasional FIFA World Cup, but has two true claims to fame. It's one of two venues to host the NFL's biggest game without being the home field for an NFL team, and the San Francisco 49ers win in Super Bowl XIX marked the only time a "home team" won a Super Bowl.

Photo: Google Earth; 10/31/2011

Qualcomm (Jack Murphy) Stadium

This stadium is home to powerful athletes, but truly demonstrates the power of the pen. A local sportswriter was trying to bring professional sports to southern, southern California in the early 60's. He succeeded in galvanizing public support, getting the public to pledge money via bonds, and ultimately delivered a venue that has been used by the San Diego Chargers and Padres for over 30 years. After Murphy's death in 1980 the stadium was rechristened Jack Murphy Stadium until 1997 when Qualcomm purchased the naming rights. Just think, if Kickstarter had existed back then, an entrepreneur like Murphy could have crowdfunded a dome — not that San Diego needs it.

Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency/Google Earth; 4/24/2010

Rose Bowl

The Rose Bowl has to be considered the best value for dollar in the history of Super Bowl stadiums. Constructed for an amount that would be a rounding error on the new Cowboys stadium, it can host 106,869 screaming, somewhat squished Bruins fans. For a time, it had the highest football capacity of any stadium in the US and has been host to the Super Bowl five times even though it is not home to an NFL franchise. However, a sixth Super Bowl will have to wait for a team to relocate to Los Angeles, a requirement enacted after it last hosted the game in 1993.

Photo: TerraMetrics/Google Earth; 03/07/2011

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

The Art Moderne-style LA Coliseum was built in 1923 and has hosted the LA Rams, two Olympics, two Super Bowls, an epic Evel Knievel jump over 50 cars, and is the only Super Bowl host that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Photo: Google Earth; 3/07/2011

Sun Life Stadium (Joe Robbie/Pro Player)

Sun Life Stadium suffers from an identity crisis. It was designed to be a hybrid football/baseball stadium, meaning the seating arrangements aren't optimized for either fan base. The best proof of the stadium's conflicted nature is the fact its had seven names in its 25 year history.

Photo: Google Earth; 3/26/2011

Lucas Oil Stadium

While Midwesterners are famously modest, the firm that designed Lucas Oil Stadium has no qualms boasting about its superlative features. The stadium is 168 million square feet, or 39 acres, right downtown in Indianapolis. It's unique among NFL stadiums in that it isn't based on a dome or bowl configuration, but has gabled roofs and is sheathed in traditional bricks rather than aircraft-grade aluminum or other space age materials. The peaked roofs, copious amounts of natural light, and exposed duct work are all meant to reference the industrial landscape that surrounds the stadium.

Photo: TerraMetrics/Google Earth; 08/29/2012

Miami Orange Bowl

The Orange Bowl is the only Super Bowl stadium to be designed and built by a municipal department of public works. It lacked the polish of its privately funded counterparts and was demolished in 2008, but had a solid 71 year run, outlasting many of the higher priced stadiums.

Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency/Google Earth; 05/07/2007

Pontiac Silverdome

The Pontiac Silverdome was the home of the Detroit Lions from 1975 to 2002, but only hosted one Super Bowl in 1982. It arguably peaked in 1987 when it hosted both Pope John Paul II celebrating mass and the epic confrontation between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III. The Lions moved to a new stadium in 2002, but the Silverdome lives own playing host to Metallica concerts and monster truck rallies.

Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency/Google Earth; 05/09/2010

Raymond James Stadium

Located just an hour from Disney World, the most distinctive feature of this stadium is an interactive pirate ship. Playing off the team's pirate theme, the 103 foot long ship in the end zone shoots prizes when the Buccaneers score or enter the opposing team's red zone. The theme park fun doesn't stop there — flags are hoisted, "A Pirate's Life For Me" is blasted through the sound system, and an audio animatronic parrot sasses random passersby whenever something good happens for the home team.

Reliant Stadium is home to the Houston Texans, and hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII where the New England Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers and Janet Jackson suffered the world's most famous "wardrobe malfunction." When not being used for football, the stadium can also be transformed to host trade shows and the famous Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Photo: Google Earth; 03/10/2011

Rice Stadium

Unless you're a fan of Sammy the Owl, Rice's mascot, or have fond memories of the Houston Oiler's 1967 division championship, the most impressive thing to happen in Rice Stadium was President John F. Kennedy's speech in 1962, urging the young minds at the university to contribute to the space program.

Photo: Google Earth; 03/10/2011

Sun Devil Stadium

Sun Devil Stadium is home to Arizona State's eponymous football team and previously hosted the Arizona Cardinals, but its biggest impact has been through pop culture. Film classics Jerry Maguire and Raising Arizona as well as concert films for U2 and The Rolling Stones used the stadium as a backdrop.

Its greatest claim to fame, however, is when Pope John Paul II visited the stadium to deliver mass in 1987, but demanded that all pictures and references to the devil had to be covered up in order to enter.

Demolished in 1998, Tampa Stadium was doomed from the start. Built in Miami's hot and humid climate, the architects provided no shade for players or fans, built the structure with concrete, and featured aluminum seating. Add in 74,301 people sitting in 95 degree heat with 80% humidity, and a new stadium was needed from the day this one opened.

See that parking lot on the south side of the stadium? It would be turned into Raymond James Stadium, host of the 2001 Superbowl, ten years after Tampa Stadium hosted their second and final one. You can still see the driveway that surrounded the old complex today.

Image: U.S. Geological Survey/Google Earth, 2/21/1995

Ford Field

Ford Field was part of an urban redevelopment effort and actually incorporates a six story warehouse that had been on the site since the 1920s. The structure features frosted glass skylights meant to evoke the lighting in Ford's factories. Sadly, while it has hosted a Super Bowl, the hapless Detroit Lions have yet to earn a home playoff game in the stadium's 10 year history.

Photo: Google Earth; 5/9/2010

Everbank Field

Some designs spring forth from the mind of a genius "Starchitect." Then there is Everbank Field. The home of the Jaguars wasn't so much designed as evolved, or maybe mutated, based on the skeleton of a stadium built in 1982. It was shaped less by blueprints and more by funding negotiations between local officials, universities, and civic organizations. Unfortunately, its most notable architectural feature is a series of tarps that block off whole sections of seating, reducing capacity and making it easier for the team to sell out the stadium, preventing local TV "black outs" that tend to frustrate Jaguar fans. All nine of them.

Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency/Google Earth; 12/31/2009

University of Phoenix Stadium

Fans of Peter Eisenman call his work deconstructive, late avant-garde, late or high modernist. His detractors call it disorienting to the point of nausea. In either case, he was an unlikely choice to design an NFL stadium, but the former Cornell cheerleader partnered with stadium specialists Populous to create a new home for the Arizona Cardinals. So far, the design seems to have proven effective — a retractable roof protects players from the sun and despite a forward looking design, fans are able to find their seats.

Photo: Google Earth; 06/08/2012

Tulane Stadium

Tulane Stadium was demolished over 30 years ago, but its nickname lives on. The stadium played host to a annual game dubbed the "Sugar Bowl" by locals. Today, the Sugar Bowl has become part of the official NCAA Bowl Championship Series and pays out $17,000,000 to the participants each year — more than four times what it cost to build in inflation adjusted dollars.